Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the House “stood for big business” after Speaker Dade Phelan signaled skepticism about reversing billions of dollars in charges for wholesale electricity during last month’s winter storm.
Patrick Svitek
Patrick Svitek was the primary political correspondent for The Texas Tribune. Patrick covered elections, state leaders, the Legislature and political trends across the state from 2015 until 2024. He previously worked for the Houston Chronicle's Austin bureau. Patrick graduated in 2014 from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. He is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2021
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick focuses scorn on Public Utility Commission after winter storm, testing Gov. Greg Abbott
Abbott has previously directed much of the blame for the storm’s power outages on the state’s electrical grid operator.
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Politics
Social network Gab fuels latest conflict among Texas Republicans
The Texas GOP said Thursday it would not abandon the site after the party’s vice chair, Cat Parks, demanded it do so — and after Gov. Greg Abbott denounced it as an anti-Semitic platform.
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Politics
Gov. Greg Abbott appointee to a river authority steps down after contentious confirmation hearing over inflammatory tweets
The Brazos River Authority appointee, Darren Yancy, faced questions from Democratic senators Monday about his social media activity targeting President Joe Biden and former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas lawmakers plan slate of bills in response to power outages, but experts skeptical there will be meaningful change
Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday also said he wants lawmakers to prioritize correcting any ERCOT-related billing errors, including inaccurately high electricity charges. That came after the Public Utility Commission said it will not fix ERCOT’s $16 billion power billing mistake.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Legislation backed by casino giant would allow casinos, sports gambling in Texas
Las Vegas Sands is pushing to create the opportunity for casinos at “destination resorts” in the state’s four largest metropolitan areas.
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Winter Storm 2021
Just one Public Utility Commission member remains after another resignation in aftermath of winter storm
Shelly Botkin’s departure comes a week after the commission’s chair, DeAnn Walker, also stepped down.
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Politics
Cat Parks paves own path as Texas GOP vice chair under bombastic Allen West
Parks has risen quickly in Texas GOP politics since being tapped to run a small county party a few years ago.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott rejects aid from Biden administration in dispute over coronavirus testing for migrants
Abbott said it is the federal government’s responsibility to test the migrants.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Debate ramps up at Texas Legislature over governor’s emergency powers during pandemic
Gov. Greg Abbott is well aware that some lawmakers, particularly in his own party, are interested in reining in his authority. However, it remains to be seen how much power Abbott is willing to relinquish.
